More than 300 bottles of illegal, potentially dangerous, booze and more than 3,000 illegal cigarettes have been seized in Reading so far this year.

Reading Borough Council’s Trading Standards team have so far taken 320 bottles of illegal vodka and beer from 13 unnamed off-licences around the town.

Working in partnership with HMRC, the team has also seized more than 3,000 illegal cigarettes and 3.5kg of smuggled hand-rolling tobacco.

Of the 320 bottles, 312 were smuggled and eight were counterfeit.

Officers also seized 220 litres of wine from a shop selling illegal booze at very low prices.

Cllr Paul Gittings: "By removing this illegal alcohol and tobacco from local shops, the council has prevented a potentially serious health risk to unwitting consumers, and taken funds away from criminals who are likely to have used the money generated to fund other illegal activity."

The team say alcohol fraud costs the UK around £1 billion a year. Because they don’t pay tax, it means fraudsters are able to undercut legitimate companies.

The illegal booze also presents a severe health risk and could well be unfit for consumption by humans. Because there are none of the normal checks, there’s no way of checking the ingredients.

Illegal alcohol and tobacco seized from 13 shops around the area.

Cllr Paul Gittings: “Hopefully, it will also make traders think twice about stocking these products as we will always pursue prosecutions where possible. The message to consumers is if the cost of the alcohol or tobacco looks too good to be true, it probably is."

With illegal drink, it’s also likely it has been made in unsanitary conditions.

The tobacco products are cigarettes and rolling tobacco smuggled or bootlegged into the country. They can also be counterfeit.

The illegal tobacco trade can make it easier for children to start smoking, takes advantage of cash-strapped families and helps fund other organised crime.

Illegal alcohol and tobacco seized from 13 shops around the area.

Cllr Paul Gittings, lead councillor for consumer services, said:“By removing this illegal alcohol and tobacco from shops, the council has prevented a potentially serious health risk to unwitting consumers, and taken funds away from criminals who are likely to have used the money generated to fund other illegal activity.

“The council is committed to tackling alcohol crime and the work we’ve achieved this year will make a significant impact on disrupting this type of activity.

“Hopefully, it will also make traders think twice about stocking these products as we will always pursue prosecutions where possible. The message to consumers is if the cost of the alcohol or tobacco looks too good to be true, it probably is.

What to do if you spot fake alcohol or tobacco

If you think you’ve drunk fake alcohol, the best thing to do is to seek medical advice as soon as possible.

People are also urged to report it to the council by calling 0118 937 2263.

Things to look out for:

Poor quality labelling

Check for properly sealed caps

Check barcodes and duty stamps.

Be wary of unusual brand-names and cheap alcohol that looks, smells or tastes bad.

Illegal tobacco can be harder to spot but things to look out for include:

Foreign brand names and health warnings

Cheaper prices - less than £3.50 for a pack of 20

No picture or health warnings

Unusual taste and smell

To report illegal booze or cigarettes call the council on 0118 937 2263.